


Gehören

by Yasuo_Karada



Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 03:24:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5523650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yasuo_Karada/pseuds/Yasuo_Karada
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>verb - belong, pertain, appertain, deserve</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gehören

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vurtkonnegut](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=vurtkonnegut).



> My DMMD Secret Santa gift for vurtkonnegut, or coolangelthesis on here! I was honestly super excited to have gotten you as my recipient because you're kind of like my senpai and we both adore NoiAo (especially fluffy NoiAo). The preference was NoiAo with fluff, smut, or family AU, I just hope this fic is satisfactory!!

Winter in Germany was many things that winter in Midorijima was not.  
  
For starters, it snowed. Aoba had never seen the snow before, but he grew excited as summer turned into autumn, painting the trees a wonderful array of reds, oranges, and yellows. As the breeze weaving through the town grew colder and biting and Aoba bundled just a little more with every passing day, it dawned on him that this would be his first winter, his first Christmas, away from home; he would be experiencing snow for the very first time.  
  
Germany was quite festive this time of year. Back in Midorijima, the island was mostly bare save for a few streets donned with lights and the seasonal festivals. Here, however, stores were decorated with ribbons and wreaths and played holiday carols. The streets sold festive treats like fruitcake and stuffed sausage, cinnamon lager with a hint of apple, and other such treats, and in the very middle of the town, there was a large pine tree decked in lights and ornaments.  
  
It was all so...so _beautiful_.  
  
As much as he loved Midorijima, experiencing Christmas the way he had always fantasized since he was a child brought such warmth to his chest – the way he would wake up and bare witness to the first snow blanketing the ground, the enticing smell of cinnamon and chocolate wafting through the house; his mother softly chiding him for staying in bed for too long, bundled up on a cocoon of sheets and quilts, trying to sneak a peek at the gifts his father would try to hide from him...  
  
A gentle pinch upon his frostbitten cheek snapped him out of his wistfulness.  
  
“Aoba,” Noiz spoke softly, cupped his cheek in a gloved palm. “Are you okay?”  
  
“Huh?” Aoba blinked, realizing a moment too late that a single tear had streamed its way down his face. His eyelids fluttered the remaining moisture away, bringing his own gloved hand to his face. “Y-Yeah, I'm fine.”  
  
Noiz furrowed his eyebrows, not completely convinced but he ultimately chose not to prod. “Here,” he murmured instead, offering a cup of a hot beverage to the other man. “This should warm you up.”  
  
Aoba took it with a silent _thank you_ , holding the paper cup in his gloved hands and reveling in the way it gradually brought feeling back to his fingers. He brought it to his lips, gently blew on it through the small opening in the lid, and took a careful sip. His eyebrows raised in surprise. “It's so sweet!”  
  
“It's hot chocolate,” Noiz chuckled, gently taking one of Aoba's hands into his own.  
  
It was Christmas Eve, and the town was alive with the bustling of crowds, the laughter of children playing in the snow, people singing German carols on the side of the street. It was certainly far more lively than he had ever seen people be this time of year, and while it gave him the sense of mild anxiety from being in a foreign country, it also made him very excited for the upcoming holiday.  
  
Christmas as he had always wanted it to be.  
  
The two of them walked along the sidewalk hand in hand, sipping their hot chocolate every so often as they talked amongst themselves – the sights, the various appetizing aromas from the different stores, the choirs of people singing.  
  
“It's beautiful...” Aoba murmured to himself, taking in the entire experience for everything it was worth.  
  
“Yeah,” Noiz agreed just as softly; Aoba took note of how Noiz's grip on his hand tightened. He couldn't help but smile, warmth pooling from his belly up into his chest.  
  
He had realized some time ago that this would be the first time Noiz would truly experience a proper Christmas, too.  
  
It seemed oddly fitting that they would both share their first Christmas together after years of heartbreak and loneliness. Aoba intended to make up for all of the lost time and disappointment and so much more.  
  
“Heh. Zoning out?” Noiz smirked, noting the aloof gleam in Aoba's eyes. Aoba pouted and glanced away.  
  
“Shut up.”

They continued to traverse the town square, pausing once in front of the tree to take a selfie – or two, or five – together with the lights illuminating around them.  
  
“This one came out so nice! And this one, too!” Aoba exclaimed, going through the various images taken on his coil. Noiz's mouth scrunched, seeming displeased with them.  
  
“Why take so many? We're only going to send one to _Baa-chan_ , aren't we?” Noiz sighed a puff of vapor into the cold, leaning over his back to rest his chin upon his shoulder.  


“What about Theo? And Koujaku and Clear?” Aoba nudged his elbow into Noiz's stomach. Noiz seemed to perk up at hearing Aoba mention a certain old man.  
  
Without warning, he turned Aoba around and pulled him into a hot kiss, startling the older man who protested at first before quickly melting into it, eyelids fluttering shut and hands traveling to the blond's shoulders.  
  
_Click_.  
  
“Ph-what?! Noiz, what did you do?!” Aoba sputtered, immediately pulling away with a blush glowing on his face. He glared at the shit-eating grin he received in response.  
  
“This one, send this one to that old man,” he chortled, moving his wrist to present the image displaying from his coil. Aoba's face only turned an even brighter red at seeing the two of them in such an embarrassing state; his widened eyes squinted into a half-hearted glare at seeing Noiz side-eyeing the coil's camera, a slight smirk on his lips engulfed by Aoba's.  
  
“Why would you send that?! Delete it!”  
  
“It's a nice picture. That blush looks cute on you,” Noiz smirked, pulling his wrist away just as Aoba lunged for it. Aoba's futile attempts to grab his coil brought a genuinely amused laugh from the blond's mouth. Eventually, though, Aoba gave up and huffed into a pout.  
  
“Fine! Go ahead and send it, see if I care when he wants to beat your ass next time we visit.” Aoba folded his arms across his chest and proceeded to step away. Noiz only rolled his eyes and briskly followed.  
  
“C'mere, _Schatz_ ,” Noiz spoke softly as he caught up and gently wrapped his arms around his waist from behind. He placed his chin upon Aoba's right shoulder and nuzzled his face into Aoba's cheek, earning a low growl that didn't really carry any actual bite. “Let's go back home. We've been out for a while and it's getting late.”  
  
“Humph. Might as well, I want to warm up in a bath and go to bed.” Aoba shrugged Noiz off of his shoulders before turning slightly and pinching his cheek. “And no, that was _not_ an invitation.”  
  
“Heh. Worth a shot.”  
  
*  
  
After they had arrived back home – which took a bit longer than usual as Aoba and Noiz both kept getting distracted by the various shops and sights on the way – Noiz took care of their coats, damp from the snow that had fallen at some point that night, while Aoba prepared a fresh pot of hot chocolate so it would be ready by the time he came out of the bath. Midori and Ren bounced into the living room upon the two returning, each giving their respective greeting.  
  
“P! What is Noiz getting from the closet?” Midori bounced across the coffee table as he and Ren watched Noiz digging around in his coat's pocket. He quickly _shh_ 'd the AllMates, glancing down the hallway to look and listen for any signs of acknowledgment. Aoba had already gone off to their bathroom and the bath water could be heard running, but one could never be too careful.

“It's a gift for Aoba. I couldn't wait until tomorrow so I want to give it to him tonight.” Noiz brought out a small box with a familiar logo engraved into it. “I haven't gotten the chance to wrap it yet, though, so I figured now would be the best time.”  
  
“P! Noiz has a secret! A secret!”  
  
“Would you like me to keep an eye out for Aoba for you, Noiz?” Ren poddled alongside the blond as he made his way down the hall to his office.  
  
“Ah, yeah. Thanks.” Noiz nodded as he hurried his pace. Some rustling could be heard from in front of the bathroom, where Ren was standing. His ears drooped slightly when a curse or two came muffled at the signs of a small struggle.  
  
Noiz emerged a few moments later, the small box wrapped in layers upon layers of wrapping paper and tape and topped with a giant blue bow. As the blond walked past Ren into the living room, he grimaced at the amateur wrapping job – he was good at many things, but wrapping was not one of them by any means.  
  
He had just stood back upright after kneeling in front of the tree to place his gift with the few others when he heard the bathroom door open behind him. He glanced back over his shoulder to see Aoba run into their bedroom, wrapped in towels on his head and around his waist, muttering obscenities about how “fucking cold it is in this country, holy _shit_.”  
  
He snickered under his breath as Aoba vanished into the room.  
  
*

“Here you go.”  
  
Noiz handed Aoba a fresh mug of hot chocolate as Aoba made room for him on the couch, holding up his half of the plush throw. Aoba took the mug with a soft 'thank you' and Noiz took his rightful place by his lover's side, snuggling up to him under the blanket. Aoba curled up into himself, bundled up in the blanket and some ironically hideous sweater that looked like it was splattered with a variety of blues and reds; Noiz had a matching one, in green and yellow.  
  
“We did a pretty good job on the tree, huh?” Aoba grinned as he brought the mug up to his lips. The tree in front of them was wrapped in a gentle glow of whites and reds, dotted with ornaments of various sizes and colors that were placed in a calculated manner. At the very top of the tree, there was a glass star that created an ethereal feel, and the inviting scent of fresh pine mixed with the crisp winter air filled the room.  
  
“Yeah, we did,” Noiz chuckled in response, softly blowing on his own drink before taking a lengthy sip. He felt as the heat poured down his throat and warmed up the rest of his chest.  
  
This was always an intriguing sensation, going from cold to warm from the inside.

“There are still a few ornaments left over.” Noiz glanced in Aoba's direction to see him holding up one of the larger ones. “Maybe we overdid it with the ornament shopping.”  
  
“Nah, this just means that next year we'll have to get a bigger tree.”  
  
Aoba stared at Noiz as he took another sip of his beverage, the words sinking in.  
  
_Next year...so Noiz sees us doing this next year, too..._  
  
Without thinking, the older man leaned over and left a soft peck on Noiz's cheek, bringing a slight blush to the blond's face. Aoba couldn't help but chuckle internally at the reaction; Noiz may have been getting better used to showing affection (appropriately, to his much-deserved relief) but it seemed he was still trying to grasp the concept of sentiment.  
  
“I have something I want give you early, brat,” Aoba murmured and left another peck before shuffling out of the blanket, leaving his mug on the side table to go over to the tree.  
  
“Heh, is that so? I guess we had the same idea, I have something I wanna give you, too.”  
  
“Oh? Which one is it, I can grab it while I'm up,” he inquired from the floor, kneeling in front of the decorated fir with his gift in hand. After receiving direction, he grabbed Noiz's gift to him, grinning at the haphazard wrap-up job.  
  
Every single gift with a blue bow on it had the same quality wrapping. It was...so, _so_ cute.

“Here you go.” Noiz watched as Aoba returned to his spot beside him and immediately wrapped an arm around his waist to pull him in closer. “O-Oi!”  
  
“It was cold without you under the blanket,” Noiz murmured, his face buried in Aoba's hair.  
  
“Big baby. Here's your gift,” Aoba pouted, holding out his much-better-wrapped-than-Noiz's gift.  
  
“I thought I was a brat,” Noiz teased, gratefully taking Aoba's gift to him into his hands as he leaned back a bit.  
  
“You're both!” Aoba huffed, then laughed. “Do you wanna go first, or me?”  
  
“You can go first. I want to see your expression when you open it,” Noiz smiled back, growing wider as Aoba nodded and gently held his gift up to inspect it.  
  
The bluenette took his time gingerly removing the paper and tape, making a surprised expression when the first layer was gone and another layer beneath it. Noiz had to look away, embarrassed.  
  
“Sorry. I'm not that great at things like this.” The irony hit him the second those words left his mouth, how he was always giving Aoba gifts throughout the year but failed to make them wrapped as lovely as he had seen in shops and online.  
  
“It's alright, just brings more suspense!” Aoba chuckled, finally making some progress.  
  
“Ah! I finally got through!” He grinned in triumph at seeing the corner of the box through the paper. Noiz returned his gaze to Aoba then, awaiting his reaction when the gift was fully unwrapped.  
  
Aoba's hazel eyes widened as the rest of the paper fell away, and in his hands he held a small wooden box bearing the familiar Jerry Blaine ribbon below a stylishly designed brain.  
  
“Noiz...is this...is this what I think it is...?”  
  
“Heh, why don't you open it and find out?” Noiz leaned back against the couch, fingers idly playing in anticipation with the gift in one hand and his mug in the other.  
  
Shaky hands gripped the box as Aoba slowly opened it; Noiz didn't think his eyes could get bigger, but Aoba surprised him.  
  
“Holy shit, Noiz, where did you _get_ this?”  
  
In his hands, he held the new Brain Nuts watch. It had a dark metallic chain and tiny studs surrounding the face that changed colors depending on the music tied in with it – so he read online with the previews – and a face that was a dark blue in the middle.  
  
“Here, touch the screen.” Noiz leaned over as Aoba lightly tapped the glass, gasping as the screen came to life as the dark blue rippled like water, fading into a lighter shade as it displayed the default language settings, time, and preferences.  
  
“This watch can connect with any wireless headphones, and I know you really like to listen to music, so I thought this would help you save memory,” Noiz explained, watching with delight as Aoba's eyes turned glassy with excitement. “It can also link to your coil, so you can store any pictures or videos you want on it, too.”  
  
While it was true that Aoba was extremely excited to try this device out and he was _very_ grateful Noiz thought to pick a gift that was so tied in with his interests, he was also just as confused as to where and _when_ Noiz got the thing. It wasn't due for release until _after New Year's_.  
  
Aoba beamed, shaking just a little from being just so damn _excited_. Noiz couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous Aoba looked – he reminded him of a chihuahua, he was shaking so much – until Aoba lunged forward and left a big smooch on the same cheek as before. “Thank you, Noiz. Really.”  
  
Noiz returned the peck on Aoba's own cheek as his own response, watching as Aoba settled down with the box still in hand.  
  
“Aren't you going to try it on?”  
  
“Oh, I will! But first, I wanted to see _your_ reaction.”  
  
Ah, that's right.  
  
“Hm,” Noiz hummed, glancing down to the gift in his hands after setting his mug down onto the coffee table. He felt conflicted, not really wanting to ruin the good job Aoba did when wrapping his gift, but also knowing that it truly was no big deal and that he shouldn't fret about it anymore.  
  
An eternity passed before Noiz finally got around to tearing the paper, Aoba watching in focused anticipation. Once he had the bare gift in hand, he gave Aoba a somewhat confused look.  
  
“To be honest, I wasn't sure whether or not I should give it to you early, but since you mentioned a 'next year', well...” Aoba trailed off, idly scratching at the back of his neck with every nerve in his body on edge.  
  
At hearing this, Noiz returned his attention to the box and opened it. He froze in place, and if Aoba heard correctly, he had let out a tiny gasp of surprise.  
  
Snuggled securely in the felt inside the box were two rings, curved and bent in such an intricate way that they resembled rabbits; on each rabbit, there was a gemstone for an eye – one a diamond for the month of April, the other Alexandrite for June. The June rabbit was slightly bigger in size, meant to fit around his ring finger.  
  
“Is this a marriage proclamation?”  
  
“Whoa, let's not get ahead of ourselves!” Aoba interjected before Noiz could ask anything else. “I mean, maybe _someday_? But right now, I just want this to mean something, a promise.”  
  
Noiz blinked, lips slightly parted as Aoba went on.  
  
“I wasn't sure how life would change for me, being here in Germany. Not at first. But,” he paused to take Noiz's hand in his own. “You've shown me so much more than I ever would have been able to back in Midorijima. You have broadened my horizons, just as I had promised I would do for yours. Your world here is wonderful.”  
  
A hand was brought up to Aoba's face, his own hands cradling it as he nuzzled into the palm. “There are a lot of things I'm still unsure about when it comes to the future...but, every single possibility, every passing thought, you're in them. Despite all the uncertainties I may have, the one thing that I know is that I can't see any future, good or bad, without you in it.”  
  
The strange sting and heat of tears pooled down from Noiz's eyes, his chest inflating and on the verge of bursting. Aoba raised one hand to cup his cheek into his palm, thumb gently wiping them away.  
  
“I wanted to give you the promise that I want to be in any future you see, too.”  
  
At this, Noiz practically crumbled into Aoba's arms.  
  
Opening up to another person, sharing their heart and thoughts and dreams, was still a concept he had yet to fully grasp. But Aoba's words – his genuine, beautiful words – touched him in a way he thought he was still numb to. For once, someone truly wanted to be with him, _truly_ wanted to stay.  
  
He pulled away to wipe away his own tears before grinning widely, shaking hands holding the box with the rings. He gingerly held up the diamond rabbit between his index finger and thumb, extending his other hand for Aoba's. Aoba gave it, returning Noiz's grin as the ring was slid onto his left ring finger.  
  
Aoba could barely dress Noiz's own finger with the other ring before Noiz had him in a crushing embrace, peppering his face with light kisses, dampened from the joy streaming down their cheeks.  
  
*

“P! P! P! It's time for Noiz to wake up! Time to wake up!”  
  
The blond immediately shot up and swiftly tapped the top of Midori's head, effectively shutting him up before Aoba could stir. Noiz looked down at Aoba nestled into the sheets beside him, letting out a small, sleepy sigh. He couldn't help but smile at the sight, and he leaned down to gently kiss his cheek before leaping out of bed to make his way down the hall.  
  
It was about five in the morning, _way_ too early to be up on Christmas; some part of Noiz wanted desperately to go back and snuggle up to the man still sleeping in his bed, to forgo his entire plan in favor of staying warm and surrounded by his scent. Yet, at the same time, he wanted to spoil him after last night's blissful antics with breakfast in bed before Aoba needed to get up.  
  
In passing, something about the living room bothered him, like something had moved. He ended up backtracking and stared intently into the room, trying to place his finger on it.  
  
And then he realized – there were more presents under the tree than there were last night.  
  
Noiz took an awkward step in, some feeling beginning to pool in his gut. It was nostalgic, like he was five and naive and innocent to the world, as if he could feel the cold of the winter snow and the warmth of his mother's hugs; he felt like he would have expected to feel as a kid who grew up with a loving family, running into the living room in the hopes that _der Weihnachtsmann_ had stopped by and delivered his gifts for being the perfect child his parents had expected him to be – the one he never was.  
  
Who could have...–?  
  
“Surprised?” A sleepy yawn came from behind him. Noiz turned around to see Aoba, wrapped up in their blanket, rubbing sleep out of his eye with a faint smile across his face.  
  
“Aoba, when did–“  
  
“Ah, when I went to go get water,” Aoba yawned again, shuffling over to his boyfriend to bury his face into his shoulder. “Wanted to surprise you, like that,” a pause, “ _Santa-san_ guy does for kids.”  
  
Noiz chuckled at how Aoba didn't even bother with the German version. He took the sleepy man into his arms, nuzzling his face into that beautiful blue hair and earning a low hum in response.  
  
“ _Danke_ , Aoba. I truly don't know what I ever did to deserve you.”  
  
“You broke into my house,” Aoba grumbled, a bit cranky from having to wake up early. It earned a loud chuckle from Noiz, regardless.  
  
“Really? If I had known that was all it took, I would've done it sooner.”  
  
The sound of tiny feet softly tapping into the room interrupted before Aoba could retort. Ren approached the two with Midori bouncing behind him.  
  
“P! Aoba is sneaky! Very sneaky!” Midori chirped.  
  
“Noiz, did you like Aoba's surprise?” Ren plopped down onto his fluffy little butt next to Aoba's feet.  
  
“I did; actually, I'm pretty impressed. How'd you manage to hide all this?” Noiz smirked in Aoba's direction, earning him a low chuckle and an oath to secrecy, before looking down at the two. “You two have gifts, too.”  
  
“P!! Presents!”

“Thank you for your consideration, Noiz.”

The two AllMates and Noiz followed Aoba as he groggily stumbled into the living room and collapsed onto the couch, curling up into the blanket wrapped around him. After some teasing, Noiz went to make the two a fresh batch of coffee before they began to finish their exchange and open the gifts sent to them from loved ones afar.  
  
Tae had sent the two of them hand-knit sweaters, each to their specific color preference, as well as a cookbook for Aoba with a slip that had the recipe for her donuts. Koujaku sent Aoba the new GOATbed album, as well as a small stuffed red hippo plush (which Aoba thought was absolutely childish and yet so like Koujaku), while he (surprisingly) sent Noiz a card – what exactly was in the card, Noiz didn't let him see. Clear, on the other hand, had managed to save up a bunch of glass bottles and made small terrariums out of them, each bottle colored beautifully and containing a variety of plants or bio-luminescent organisms.  
  
Midori had gotten excited about the bottles and nearly knocked one over with the fuzzy end of his tiny hat, earning a holler from Noiz as he just narrowly managed to save it; Ren sighed, donned in his sweater made for small dogs, as Midori panicked and threw up a bunch of discarded wrapping paper as Noiz scrambled to capture him.  
  
It was loud and lively and hilarious and everything Aoba had wanted on a Christmas morning, on any morning.  
  
As Midori squealed as Noiz held him in his hand, scolding him like he would a child. At hearing the chatter and feeling so at home, for the first time since coming to this new country, Aoba couldn't help but smile and idly play with the ring on his finger.  
  
If the future was truly as bright as it seemed now...maybe it wouldn't be so crazy to think about all the different ways he and Noiz could spend their many Christmases together.  
  
And as Noiz answered a call on his coil from Theo, as the two of them chatted with him over the screen and made plans for dinner, plans to bring Tae over so she could meet him properly, plans for the New Year, a warmth filled a hole in his chest he always vaguely knew was there.  
  
He _belonged_ somewhere.  
  
The realization brought tears to his eyes, and when Noiz ended the call, cupped his face to hush reassurances, all he could do was hold Noiz back and kiss him gently.  
  
He had a family, a real one – and that was the best gift he could have ever gotten on any Christmas.

 


End file.
